RESUMEN
Morphology and DNA barcode sequences were used to assess the taxonomic status of a micro-moth of the genus Ithome Chambers, 1875 (Lepidoptera, Cosmopterigidae, Chrysopeleiinae), whose larvae feed on inflorescences of Prosopis tamarugo Phil. (Fabaceae), a tree native to the Pampa del Tamarugal, Atacama Desert, northern Chile. As a result, Ithome tamarugensis Vargas, sp. nov. is described and illustrated. Its genitalia are remarkably similar to those of Ithome tiaynai Vargas, 2004 from coastal valleys of the Atacama Desert. However, the two species can be recognized by the shape of the phallus in males and the shape of the antrum and ductus bursae in females. The genetic distance between DNA barcodes of I. tamarugensis and I. tiaynai was 3.0-3.3% (K2P), and a maximum likelihood analysis indicated that they are in reciprocally monophyletic clusters, providing additional support for the heterospecific status suggested by morphology.
RESUMEN
Analysis of maternally inherited genes is especially helpful in population studies of host-specialized insects, as female dispersal is key to find an adequate host plant to ensure larval survival. Bucculatrix mirnae (Lepidoptera: Bucculatricidae) is a little-known Neotropical micromoth native to the arid environments of northern Chile whose hypermetamorphic larvae are miners and skeletonizers on leaves of two species of Baccharis (Asteraceae) shrubs. This micromoth has been detected in three isolated locations embracing a narrow geographic range: two from the coastal valleys of the Atacama Desert near sea level and one from the western slopes of the Andes at about 3000 m elevation. As the dispersal of B. mirnae is mostly restricted to the small adult stage, the altitudinal gradient and desert areas among the three localities could be effective barriers, triggering genetic differentiation among populations. Sequences of the DNA barcode fragment of the cytocrome oxidase subunit I mitochondrial gene were analyzed to assess for the first time the patterns of genetic variation of B. mirnae. Fifteen haplotypes, each exclusive to one locality, were found in the 71 specimens analyzed. Genetic divergence (K2P) between haplotypes of different localities was at least 2.0%. A Bayesian analysis with sequences of congeneric species grouped all the B. mirnae haplotypes in a clade, in which three well-supported locality-specific haplogroups were found. In concordance with this pattern, an analysis of molecular variance showed that the highest genetic variation was found among populations. Furthermore, all the population pairwise comparisons (FST) were significant. These results suggest that female migration between isolated populations of B. mirnae is absent. This pattern must be considered in the current scenario of habitat destruction and modification in the arid environments of northern Chile.
Asunto(s)
Especiación Genética , Variación Genética , Lepidópteros/genética , Migración Animal , Animales , Código de Barras del ADN Taxonómico , Complejo IV de Transporte de Electrones/genética , Femenino , Flujo Génico , Genes de Insecto/genética , Haplotipos , MasculinoRESUMEN
El ser humano evolucionó más que otras especies pese a no contar con un equipo biológico superior que le permita captar la realidad con mayor amplitud y eficiencia. ¿Entonces qué determinó su mayor evolución? Se plantea la aparición de la conciencia como la causa que explica este diferente proceso evolutivo, debido a que en ella se representa una nueva realidad, una realidad psicológica más compleja, diversa y apremiante que la realidad física, siendo la que finalmente impondrá las nuevas condiciones de adaptación a los homínidos. Se abordan las características de esta realidad psicológica, su dinámica interna, sus efectos en la determinación de la conducta humana, así como la implantación de una nueva esfera de realidad social mantenida por la comunicación. Se analiza la interrelación entre estas dos formas de realidad humana. Finalmente se reflexiona sobre la fragilidad del mundo que los humanos hemos construido.
The human being evolved more than other species in spite of his lacking superior biological equipment that might have allowed grasping reality with breadth and efficiency. The question arises what determined his higher evolution? The appearance of conscience is suggested as the cause of this added evolutionary process. This postulate is founded on conscience representing a new reality, a more complex, diverse and urgent psychological reality than mere physical reality, a reality which ultimately will impose new adaptive conditions that will shape the hominids. Touched upon are the characteristics of this psychological reality, its internal dynamics, and its determinative effects on human conduct, as well as the insertion of a new sphere of social reality supported by communication. An analysis is included of the interrelationship of these two forms of human reality. It concludes with reflections on the fragility of the world which man has constructed.